Unsupported gloves are manufactured by dipping glove formers shaped like hands into tanks of liquid latex and admixed chemicals. The latex may contain vulcanization agents that are used to cure the rubber, and a dry rubber film is produced. The formers are first precoated with a coagulant to gel the latex and to facilitate the subsequent removal of the glove from the former. The precoated formers are then dipped in the tanks of chemicals necessary to make the gloves. While still on the formers, the latex gloves also go through one or more rinses to leach out proteins and residual chemicals. The wet gel is dried and cured in a heated oven and the latex glove cures on the former before they are reversed stripped off the former, packaged, and/or sterilized. The inside surface of the stripped glove is smooth whilst the outside surface of the glove takes the impression of the texture from the glove former.
Supported gloves are manufactured by dip coating a supporting liner dressed on a glove former. The inside of the glove can be made of a knit material, a non woven fabric or other suitable material. After drying and curing in a heated oven the glove is removed from the former but not reversed hence a smooth outside surface of the glove results from the latex dip coating process. Alternatively, supported gloves can be made by dip coating the supporting liner with a layer of foamed latex material. Prior art gloves include dip coating with a foamed latex material that is unevenly applied to provide texture, but this surface levels out in the heating and curing process, leaving a closed cellular surface structure with a smooth surface layer.
Smooth layers of latex create problems with the wearer's ability to grip objects, especially when wet. The prior art includes unsupported gloves made using formers having embossed patterns designed to improve the wearer's grip. These patterns create designs on the finished glove product, however, they contribute little to improving grip and are primarily aesthetic. Additionally, the prior art shows that post-processing of the gloves to remove excess surfactants from the latex by washing may marginally improve the wet grip. Alternatively, surface treatment by a halogen, such as chlorine, will not only remove the surfactant but also chemically modifies the latex surface. The surface treatment provides a more chemically resistant surface that retards the rate of chemical absorption and perhaps material degradation, resulting in a marginal improvement in wet grip. In supported gloves, an overcoat of polymeric latex optionally containing rubber or mineral fillers may slightly improve grip. These processes also add to the cost of glove production and may require additional machinery.
In prior art gloves where the smooth latex is on the inside of the glove, the smooth surface is in close contact with the skin and it does not absorb sweat. This creates a clammy feeling on the wearer's hands. The prior art has included cotton flock on the inside of unsupported gloves to aid in sweat absorption, yet flock only absorbs small amounts of sweat.
Foam material with a closed cellular surface layer does little to aid circulation of air inside the glove but can absorb sweat. Also, a foam material on the outside of either unsupported or supported gloves has a closed cellular surface layer that does little to enhance the ability to grip wet or slippery objects.
It is therefore desirable to have a glove with a textured surface coating that is easily produced in the normal course of glove manufacture. A glove of this type would improve grip, such as wet/oil grip, when introduced to the outside of the glove. When included on the inside of the glove a textured surface would increase sweat absorption and reduce the degree of direct skin contact hence reducing the clammy feeling against the skin. It is therefore desirable to have a foam material layer with an open cellular structure with a textured surface.